Paradigm shift: A new way to teach computer science

For decades education researchers have struggled with a stubborn problem: computer science introductory courses are notoriously difficult. About one third of the students fail or drop out. Previous solutions focused on making small changes to teaching methodology, but a new CSU research group – Computer Science Education (CSedU) – tried an innovative idea.

Department launches Accelerated Masters Program

Our new accelerated master of science in computer science program (AMP) allows high achieving students in our bachelor’s program to pursue a graduate degree in less time. Students may apply for admission to the program and begin taking graduate courses during their undergraduate study.

Fully both: CSU alum Henry Ives blends art and science

Henry Ives graduated from Colorado State University in 2022 with degrees in computer science and music. Like many students who double major, Ives chose one program out of passion – music – and the other out of practicality – computer science. With time, however, those lines blurred.

Interdisciplinary course explores intersection of computer technology and ethics

As computer scientists, does the technology we create effectively extend our human morals and values? We grapple with that question in CS/PHIL 201. This course is required for CS majors and gives students a toolkit for addressing many concerns that may arise in their careers. It also helps them understand their roles and responsibilities as computer scientists.

TechGuide “Ask an Expert” features Craig Partridge

Considering a master’s in computer science? Our department chair Craig Partridge shares why it’s a good idea and how you can prepare. TechGuide is an online information resource that helps readers make data-driven decisions on technology education and career opportunities.

CSU Computer Science hosts first Cyber Camp, promotes diversity in field

Diverse perspective is one of the best tools for successfully defending against cyberthreats. Different views improve our understanding and help us create better solutions. We’re getting a head start on diversity in cybersecurity with a new summer camp for high school girls that’s accessible and fun.

New hands-on computer science summer camps

Last summer we expanded our K-12 summer camp offerings. The new Middle School Adventures in Computer Science (MACS) camp taught the basics of computer programming. It was also taught in both English and Spanish. We debuted the CSU Cybercamp: Crypto for Fun and Security where high school women explored cybersecurity, trust and cryptography. SWiFT Summer Camp Series for high school women returned this year and taught coding with a healthcare theme.

New Research Center for Exascale Spatial Data Analytics and Computing

The Center for Exascale Spatial Data Analytics and Computing facilitates cutting-edge artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning methods at scale over high-dimensional spatial datasets. Their systems have been deployed in urban sustainability, epidemiology, ecological monitoring, methane gas leak detection, and atmospheric sciences. The center is supported by NSF, USDA-NIFA, and DHS.

CSU virtual reality lab aims to connect more users with technology – naturally

CSU’s Natural User Interaction Lab (NUILAB) is at the forefront of basic AR/VR research. Led by Assistant Professor Francisco Ortega, the research group focuses on developing 3D user interfaces that make AR/VR platforms feel as natural to you as the multitouch display on your smartphone.

Tackling the ‘Turf Monster:’ CSU professor’s study aims to make artificial playing surfaces better and safer for everyone

Computer Science graduate student and former place kicker at the University of Hawaii Michael Boyle is working with researchers in the Department of Health and Exercise Science to study the correlation between artificial turf and risk of injury. Their goal is to balance athletic performance and safety, keeping everyone, not just athletes, active and fit.

CSU researchers funded by DARPA to demystify neural networks, improve cybersecurity

CSU computer scientists and mathematicians are seeking to bring mathematics-based clarity to how artificial neural networks function, and how they can be better protected against security threats. Their $1 million research project is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is the U.S. Department of Defense’s research arm that makes investments in “breakthrough technologies for national security.”

A building that teaches: Interdisciplinary team creates augmented reality app while overcoming pandemic challenges

Francisco Ortega is part of an interdisciplinary research team developing an AR app that educates building occupants about the features of a building space. The app allows users to move their phone around the physical environment and see in real-time digital overlays such as audio, video, 3D models, and images of the physical space.

Fox 5 New York covers “Diana” for All In: Artificial Intelligence series

Our AI researchers have been collaborating with Brandeis University to develop “Diana”, an AI system built to support teachers, increase student engagement, and close the opportunity gap. Fox 5 New York recently covered the AI system.

Indrakshi Ray discusses cybersecurity in NSF Prepare podcast

The next pandemic is no longer a question of “if” but “when”. The NSF Prepare: Science Before the Storm discussion series helps spark multidisciplinary research ideas and apply them to real-world situations.  In this episode “For your eyes only: data privacy in a pandemic” listen to the “what if?” conversation with Indrakshi Ray, Sameer Patil at Indiana University, and John Seberger at Michigan State University.

Department leads discussions at DARPA Forward conference

In August CSU was the inaugural partner for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) conference series.  The 2-day regional event connected researchers, world-renowned scientists, and defense leaders who develop national security technologies. Department chair Craig Partridge was one of the twelve CSU faculty members who led discussions at the conference.

Craig Partridge appointed to President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science

The 16-member committee evaluates nominees for the National Medal of Science, a presidential award that recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, social and behavioral sciences.

Computer Science student awarded prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Honors student Rachel Masters has received the country’s top undergraduate award dedicated to fostering the next generation of research leaders in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Her virtual and augmented reality research involves mixed reality applications that can help people primarily through mindfulness, health and education.

Fortune ranks CSU among nation’s best

The IT sector needs more well-trained professionals to match unprecedented growth—and computer science degree programs seek to meet this demand. Our online master’s degree has once again been rated as one of the best degrees in its category.

Sudeep Pasricha named ACM Distinguished Speaker

In addition to ACM Distinguished Speaker, Sudeep is also an ACM Distinguished Member and a Senior Member of the IEEE.  Sudeep is a professor in both computer science and electrical and computer engineering. He researches software algorithms, hardware architectures, and hardware-software co-design for energy-efficient, fault-resilient, real-time, and secure computing.

Nikhil Krishnaswamy wins Best Paper Award

Assistant Professor Nikhil Krishnaswamy and James Pustejovsky (Brandeis University) received a Best Paper Award at this year’s International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII 2022) for their paper titled, “Multimodal Semantics for Affordances and Actions.” Nikhil directs the SIGNAL (Situated Grounding and Natural Language) Lab at CSU and researches natural language processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and embodied cognition.

iSAT team awarded Best Interactive Event

Nikhil Krishnaswamy and the team at the NSF National AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming (iSAT) won the Best Interactive Event award at the 2022 Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) conference. iSAT is a collaboration between CSU, CU, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Brandeis University, and UW Madison. CSU designed the pipeline and integrated the backend AI components, including automatic speech recognition, speech diarization, and NLP modules.

Indrakshi Ray awarded honorary mention at EuroUSEC

Indrakshi’s paper titled “Vision: Stewardship of Smart Devices Security for the Aging Population” received Honorary Mention at the EuroUSEC 2021 conference – the highest honor given to a Vision paper. The paper is co-authored with Lorenzo De Carli and Erin Solovey at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Seven CS faculty and staff receive Dean’s Faculty and Staff Success Program Awards

The College of Natural Sciences awards these funds to faculty and staff to address gaps, deficiencies or opportunities they see in the areas of teaching and learning, research, diversity/inclusion, outreach/engagement and professional development. Congratulations to Vinayak Prabhu, Amanda Denstedt, Francisco Ortega, Elisa Cundiff, Marcia Moraes, Wayne Trzyna and Asa Ben-Hur.

Top 3 sweep: Computer science students propel winning teams at Bio-Cybersecurity Student Challenge

Crack passwords, decipher hidden messages, and find hackers before they find you. In an 8-hour virtual capture the flag event, CSU interdisciplinary student teams crushed these challenges and bested competitors like Georgia Tech and the University of Florida in a test of practical cybersecurity skill.

Interdisciplinary team wins second place for excellence in data science research at CSU CURC

Undergraduate researchers Meridith McCann (computer science), Emma Hamilton (data science) and Mandey Brown (data science) are helping scientists better visualize data in 3D by providing context and perspective on the data and offering recommendations for data exploration. Their award-winning project is titled “Recommendation Guided Immersive Visual Explorations using Random Forests.”

Outstanding Grad: Calvin Tai

Calvin Tai received his dual bachelor’s in computer science and electrical and computer engineering in spring 2022. He now works at his dream job with tech giant Meta. Read about Calvin’s transformative journey from his home in Malaysia to CSU Outstanding Grad.

CS student staff assistant recognized for DEI contributions

Student staff assistant Sheridan Reed received the Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion Award from CSU Fraternity and Sorority Life for her commitment to change in the fraternal movement through the values of equity and social justice. She created and held the first ever workshops for her sorority to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in recruiting. Sheridan is the DEI chair for Kappa Delta and a DEI director for CSU’s Panhellenic Association.

CSU rated top 10 by Computer Science Degree Hub

Computer Science Degree Hub has rated our online masters degree among the top programs in the nation. Computer Science Degree Hub is a resource guide for finding the latest up-to-date information about the best accredited computer science degree programs offered by first-rate colleges across the United States.

Retirements: Ross McConnell, Ross Beveridge, and Joe Gersch

A very happy retirement and many thanks to our professors Ross McConnell (algorithms, theory, and logic), Ross Beveridge (computer vision), and Joe Gersch (cybersecurity). We’ve learned so much because of you!

Sarath Sreedharan
Assistant Professor
Artificial Intelligence, Automated Planning, Explainable AI, Neuro-Symbolic AI, Human-Aware AI, and Human-AI interaction

Ewan Davies
Assistant Professor
Approximate Counting and Sampling, Probabilistic Combinatorics, Hardness of Approximation, Extremal Graph Theory

Jedidiah McClurg
Assistant Professor
Programming Languages, Program Synthesis/Verification, High-Performance Computing, Software-Defined Networking

Logan Seabolt
Instructor

Sandra Sanchez
Office Manager

Tran Winick
Academic Success Coordinator

Heidi Runge
Academic Success Coordinator

Jenni Prior
Academic Success Coordinator

Gabby Diaz-Portalatin
Academic Success Coordinator
(Data Science)

Saul Fraire
Student Staff Assistant

Leigha Richards-Orcutt
Student Staff Assistant

Makenna Saxlund
Student Staff Assistant

Eliza Smith
Student Staff Assistant

As we work together to explore, invent, and achieve at the lightening-fast pace our field requires, we encourage you to stay connected with the Department of Computer Science. Thank you and enjoy!

Send your Computer Science news, events, and story ideas to lisa.knebl@colostate.edu